The Last Chronicle of Barset eBook

‘Mr Robarts, I thank you warmly for your friendship,’
said Mr Crawley. And then they parted. In
about half an hour Mr Crawley returned to the house.
‘Now for Pindar, Jane,’ he said, seating
himself at his old desk.

CHAPTER LXIX

MR CRAWLEY’S LAST APPEARANCE IN HIS OWN PULPIT

No word or message from Mr Crawley reached Barchester
throughout the week, and on the Sunday morning Mr
Thumble was under a positive engagement to go out
to Hogglestock, and to perform the services of the
church. Dr Tempest had been quite right in saying
that Mr Thumble would be awed by the death of his
patroness. Such was altogether the case, and
he was very anxious to escape from the task he had
undertaken at her instance, if it were possible.
In the first place, he had never been a favourite
with the bishop himself, and had now, therefore, nothing
to expect in the diocese. The crusts and bits
of loaves and the morsels of broken fishes which had
come his way had all come from the bounty of Mrs Proudie.
And then, as regarded this special Hogglestock job,
how was he to get paid for it? Whence, indeed,
was he to seek repayment for the actual money which
he would be out of pocket in finding his way to Hogglestock
and back again? But he could not get to speak
to the bishop, nor could he induce anyone who had
access to his lordship to touch upon the subject.
Mr Snapper avoided him as much as possible; and Mr
Snapper, when he was caught and interrogated, declared
that he regarded the matter as settled. Nothing
could be in worse taste, Mr Snapper thought, than
to undo, immediately after the poor lady’s death,
work in the diocese which had been arranged and done
by her. Mr Snapper expressed his opinion that
Mr Thumble was bound to go to Hogglestock; and, when
Mr Thumble declared petulantly the he would not stir
a step out of Barchester, Mr Snapper protested that
Mr Thumble would have to answer for it in this world
and in the next if there was no services at Hogglestock
on that Sunday. On the Saturday evening Mr Thumble
made a desperate attempt to see the bishop, but was
told by Mrs Draper that the bishop had positively
declined to see him. The bishop himself probably
felt unwilling to interfere with his wife’s doings
so soon after her death! So Mr Thumble, with
a heavy heart, went across to the ’Dragon of
Wantly’, and ordered a gig, resolving that the
bill should be sent to the palace. He was not
going to trust himself again on the bishop’s
cob!

Up to Saturday evening Mr Crawley did the work of
the parish, and on the Saturday evening he made an
address to his parishioners from his pulpit.
He had given notice among the brickmakers and labourers
that he wished to say a few words to them in the schoolroom;
but the farmers also heard of this and came with their
wives and daughters, and all the brickmakers came
and most of the labourers were there, so that there
was no room for them in the schoolhouse. The